U8 FIRE - Matchday 1

Captains - Jaden, Cobe, Bryson
MVPs - Cole (great all around play), Blake (season's first brace)

Scoring summary - GOAL (ASSIST)
Landen (Cobe)
Cole (Cobe)
Blake (Cole)
Blake (unassisted)
Cobe (Cole)

What a great way to start the season. The boys were ready to take the field and show off their skill. As coaches we've worked hard to give these boys the skills they need and the independence to make game-time decisions. They certainly showed up to play. One thing I was most impressed about was how the team adapted to the addition of throw-ins to the game. It was like we had been doing them for years. All of the boys did well with the throws and getting open to receive the ball.

Though there we many SportsCenter moments today, I have a couple that really stood out.
1. Cobe's stepover. The crowd went wild as Cobe tried his new stepover move at full pace during the first half. It certainly showed why we work on these moves every practice. He juked his player and ran right by him putting us in an excellent scoring position.

2. Cole's half field punt. Again, this is why we work on punting and juggling at practice. This season Cole has definitely found the sweet spot on his foot. I've rarely seen a keeper this age kick the ball as hard or far as Cole did. Thanks for practicing so hard Cole.

3. Blake's brace. In soccer, a brace is when a player scores 2 goals in a game. I was very worried about bringing Blake to the team this year because he's 2 years younger. But he has proven that he can hang with the big kids. He played well on the ball and was rewarded with a couple goals.

See you all Monday. Please have the boys juggling on their own and working on their moves.
This is looking like it will be a great season!

Coach Jeb